Cork GAA: Hurlers in pole position for league final but can footballers final complete promotion drive?

It’s all roses after Valentine’s Weekend on Leeside as the Cork footballers joined the hurlers on three wins from three.

They’re in pole position, but how often does that translate to one of those two podium berths?

The table-topping position is usually more entrenched in hurling due to the shorter schedule. 

This year, Ben O’Connor’s men have already played half of their games, while John Cleary’s troops have four to go. 

The difference was even greater prior to 2025, when the Hurling League consisted of five round-robin games.

This year, Cork are the only Division 1A team who have gone three from three, while Clare and Wexford have done so in Division 1B.

Last year was the first edition of the six-game Hurling League and no team managed to survive with a 100% record through the first three rounds across Divisions 1A and 1B.

Cork have previously gone three unbeaten to begin Pat Ryan’s tenure in 2023 and under Kieran Kingston the previous season. The Rebels topped the 1A table in '23 and finished second in '22, qualifying for a semi-final on both occasions. 

Overall, the last 15 teams to win their opening trio have each finished in the top two.

The last team to win their first three games and fail to hold onto a top-two berth was back in 2018. Clare won three in a row before taking the foot off the pedal against Wexford and Waterford. 

HISTORIC

That said, the prevailing structure at the time meant that their eventual fourth-placed finish was still worth a quarter-final spot, where they lost a historic free-taking tiebreaker against Limerick.

The comparisons are more easily made in the big-ball code, where the Division 1-4 round-robin structure has remained consistent since 2008. The one exception was the Covid-shortened 2021 campaign.

This year, Cork are among five counties with a perfect record after three rounds. Division 2 is the only grade with two such teams. 

They are set to meet on Sunday at Páirc Uí Rinn as Meath head south. The other trio are dispersed across Divisions 1 (Donegal), 3 (Down), and 4 (Carlow).

In fact, since the second coming of Jim McGuinness, Donegal have gone three consecutive years beginning the league with three successive wins. That led them to Division 2 promotion in 2024. 

Last term, they beat the previous three All-Ireland champions one after the other before dropping the anchor and finishing fourth.

When it comes to those divisions where promotion is up for grabs, Laois were the last county to fumble a three-game winning start and fall short of a Croke Park trip. That was the 2023 edition of Division 4.

In 2024, Laois were among seven teams to kickstart their year with three wins. That sextet ended up monopolising the coveted top-two positions across the divisions. The only other county to edge into those eight league final spots was Dublin, who had recovered from back-to-back opening defeats to embark upon a five-game winning run. It’s possible to do, but as they say as Gaeilge, tús maith leath na hoibre – a good start is half the work.

In Division 2, Roscommon (2025), Armagh and Donegal (2024), Derry and Dublin (2023), and Galway (2022) have all made the leap into top-tier football backed by their three-match jump start.

The last team to miss out in that scenario was Derry in 2022. The Oak Leafers could count themselves somewhat unlucky, having finished on 11 points from a possible 14. Last year, that total would’ve been good enough to finish top of Divisions 1, 2, and 3.

Back in 2022, London also had a deceptively strong start to Division 4 with three successive wins. They remain a rare example of a team who swiftly lost their next four, finishing fifth.

Division 3 has become a critical competition on the border of Sam Maguire and Tailteann Cup football. That tier has provided the greatest reward for those who are quickest off the start line. Since Antrim’s 2012 fade-out, 13 different teams have won their first three games. All 13 have been promoted.

Cork led the way in that regard when going seven from seven for an immediate bounce-back to the second division in 2021. That remains a rare achievement, though. Division 4 side Wexford did so last year, but then lost the final to Limerick. 

Covid meant that Cork were crowned champions in 2021 without playing a final.

Derry, plying their trade in the basement tier in 2019, are the last team to go eight from eight to lift Hogan Stand silverware.

Cork won’t be thinking that far ahead, but Sunday’s table-topping clash with Meath could be a defining moment in both teams’ seasons.